A juggling act for women

8 03 2011

A recent report released by the White House shows women are making strides in higher education and the workplace, but still remain at a disadvantage.

Editor’s note: the story was originally published on the March 8 issue of The Whitworthian. The story is also available online.

By Kyle Kim

Although a recent federal study shows women outpacing men in college enrollment and graduation rates at all academic levels, the report also reinforces prevailing data on the existence of gender inequality for working women.

Federal data shows females will soon make up the majority of the workforce but the percentage of women working in high-wage fields traditionally dominated by men like management, business, finance, science, technology and engineering remains low.

The findings are part of a comprehensive report released Tuesday by the White House called “Women in America.” The report is a compilation of pre-existing data documented by various federal agencies outlining the state of income, education, employment, health and violence for American women.

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Categories : Economy, Politics, Story Samples

China’s advance as second largest global economy: are we getting the full picture?

2 09 2010
Editor’s note: the following radio cue sheet was written for the announcer.
The current affairs piece originally aired August 27, 2010.

A Chinese worker makes his way along a construction site in Suining, Sichuan province. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images (Courtesy of The Guardian)

INTRO:

China is known to hold titles of “World’s Largest.” They are the world’s biggest consumer of energy, have the world’s biggest car market and the world’s biggest populated country.

And now, China’s economic trajectory  is heading one step closer to possibly holding another: the world’s largest economy.

Quarterly figures released in August showed China eclipsing Japan to become the second largest economy in the world behind the US–an achievement for a country that only had half of Japan’s economy five years ago.

But what does China’s economic development really mean? And are the reports being made by the news media completely accurate?

Kyle Kim talks to Macquarie University Associate Professor of Economics, Sean Turnell to give us a deeper understanding of China’s economy.

Listen Now (2:50).

BACK ANNOUNCE:

That was Kyle Kim with Macquarie University Associate Professor of Economics Sean Turnell. Turnell has been published in numerous international journals and featured in news media including the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, New York Times, CNN and the BBC.


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Categories : Economy, Politics, Story Samples

Getting my toes wet in radio broadcasting

18 04 2010

As a student journalist specializing in multimedia, radio production is one of my least areas of experience. My home university doesn’t offer the best in this area of journalism, which is in part why I decided to study at a university that has the resources and technology to provide deeper knowledge and experience on how to make news in a medium that solely depends on sound.

The audio file below was my first assignment in my radio production unit. A partner and I was given the task to think up of a question and ask it to people on the streets while we capture their responses with a recorder. This bread and butter practice in journalism is known as vox pop.

A reporter interviewing a protester outside Calgary's U.S. consulate. This is one of the pictures by me at the Pan-Canadian Day of Action on Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan put on by the Canadian Peace Alliance in downtown Calgary, Alberta.

Vox pop is from the Latin phrase vox populi meaning “voice of the people.” The method of asking people on the street about their opinions on a particular issue is a common practice in radio, print and TV journalism (The online medium has similar practices such as crowd sourcing and interactive capabilities that allow for comments and dialogue in forums, blogs and news sites).

My vox pop question: If your home was on fire and you only could save one possession, what would it be? With the recent fatal roof insulation program debacle that sparked criticism towards Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, We asked students at Macquarie University what they would save. Most responses were sentimental or purely for practical reasons (and some outright kooky that didn’t make it to post production).

Click on the link below to listen.

houseonfire


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Categories : Australia, Journalism, Politics, Story Samples

Did Mickey Mouse kill creative freedom for the digital age?

6 01 2010

As a digital native, I often get frustrated with today’s copyright laws regarding to the digital age. Simply put, it can be a big pain in the derriere–and we all have Walt Disney to thank for that (VIDEO:Copyright 101 via Disney illustration).

Stanford professor Larry Lessig discusses how today’s copyright law is killing creativity for today’s digital creative society.
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Categories : Internet, Politics

Can journalists be outsourced?

24 07 2009

Today’s world is all about global collaboration, opening of resources and creating accessibility. You see it almost everywhere in jobs, businesses and the economy.

Pulitzer Prize winner, NY Times columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman writes much about this 21st century phenomenon  in “The World Is Flat.”

Though the book didn’t focus on the news industry, it got me thinking: if Friedman is explaining how virtually all industries are being affected by globalization and new technologies, what about a news company like the very one he works for?

Courtesy of Kewei Shang

Courtesy of Kewei Shang

There’s a likely chance the customer service person you’re speaking with on the phone about your U.S. product is, in fact, not from the U.S. but working in a call center in Bangalore, India.

The several hundred parts used to construct the laptop or computer you are using to read this post can undoubtedly be traced to dozens of different countries (don’t worry, Friedman did the dirty work for me)

Much of today’s technology and past world history contributes to the shift being witnessed in the global economy. Part of  this shift, as illustrated above, is about cutting out unnecessary hindrances and costs.

For example, when was the last time you bought a plane ticket through a travel agent? The internet allows people to cut out the middle man (or woman) and directly purchase tickets through Web sites like Orbitz and Expedia.

Friedman’s book got me thinking: with almost every job sector experiencing the effects of globalization (good and bad of globalization), in/outsourcing and some sort of “flattening” process, what about the news industry? Can journalism be outsourced?
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Categories : Economy, Internet, Journalism, New Media, Politics, Social Media

Iran and social media: a case study on the role of social networking tools

23 06 2009

Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you know that young and old (mostly young) Iranians have been on the streets of Tehran over the recent dispute over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad‘s “landslide” victory in Iran‘s presidential election.

Photo Credit: Ben Curtis, Associated Press

Photo Credit: Ben Curtis, Associated Press

Since this post, at least a dozen deaths have been reported since the peaceful-protest-gone-violent started. This has been the biggest protest since Iran’s similar revolution in 1979 and has been one for the history books.

It seems like all the world is watching – many protesting in their own neighborhoods for Iranian’s democracy. But what makes this particular event in time even more intriguing is the pivotal role social media sites have served.

The vast majority of the videos and reports shown in news outlets have been made available not by professional journalists but by the people of Iran.

Because of the Iranian government‘s barring and outright censorship of news media to cover the riots in Tehran, Americans and others in much of the world are allowed on-the-streets access of what’s going on inside Iran’s political upheaval thanks to social media.

More cases than not, news outlets have been using social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to report the news on the protests. Social media tools like these – which traditionally have not been considered reputable sources – are now on the forefront for coverage on the Iranian elections and protests.

Citizen journalists in Iran are shooting their own video, writing their own headlines, and reporting their story – all with readily available technology. Although that is not to say the Iranian government having been reported to use the very same tools for their purposes.

As the protests continue, social media and citizen journalism will undoubtedly playing an important role in news coverage.

Not only have social media shaped how the events in Iran are covered, but the events in Iran are also shaping the role of social media in journalism.


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Categories : General, Internet, Journalism, Links, New Media, Politics, Social Media


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